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Local Housing Allowance

Overview

Local Housing Allowance is paid to people living in privately rented accommodation in order to help them pay their rent. It is usually paid direct to the person making the claim, but may be paid direct to the landlord in special circumstances.

The Government sets maximum amounts for different sized accommodation and the amount you can be awarded will initially be assessed on the number of people you have living in your household. This can be further reduced by any money above a certain level that you have coming into the house or by having other adults (except your partner) living in your home.

The rates for the different sizes of accommodation are set in April of each year and remain in place until the following year. Therefore the rates in place as at April 2013 will not be changed until April 2014.

LHA does not apply to people;

Who rent their home from the council;

Who rent their home from a registered social landlord or housing association;

Whose tenancy started before 1989 or who have a registered fair rent;

Who live in supported accommodation; or

Who live in hostels, caravans and houseboats.

It may also not apply if your rent includes an amount for meals.

Links and attachments

There are a number of leaflets that explain the Local Housing Allowance in further detail. These are available to download at the bottom of this page.

Single claimants under 35 and living in privately rented accommodation are only entitled to the shared accommodation rate for LHA. This means that the maximum award of LHA that could be paid is the rate for a single room with shared facilities, regardless of the size of the accommodation they are sharing.

The following groups are also not affected by this rule:

Claimants over 25 but under 35 who have spent at least three months in a specialist hostel or hostels for homeless people, where the main purpose of that hostel is to provide supervision, care and support with a view to assisting people to be rehabilitated or resettled in the community

Claimants over 25 but under 35 whose housing has been arranged under active multi-agency management under active Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), to be settled back into the community

Severely disabled people receiving the middle or highest care component for Disability Living Allowance

Single claimants under 22 who have left care.

Worried about losing your tenancy?

There is a legal procedure that has to be followed if you are being served with a notice to quit or being told that your tenancy is being ended. For more information and assistance you can call the Private Tenancy Unit on 0121 303 5070.

If your rent has changed recently or if any other circumstances have changed that you have not told us about, please tell us immediately by using the online change in circumstances form. .

From 1st April 2011 payments can be made direct your landlord where they have reduced the level of your rent in order for you to retain or to secure your tenancy.

There are circumstances where we must pay the landlord the Local Housing Allowance and these are:

Where we have evidence that a claimant is 8 full weeks or more in arrears with their rent; or

The claimant is having deductions made from their Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance to pay for rent arrears.

We can also make a decision to pay the Local Housing Allowance to the landlord on behalf of the claimant where we consider the claimant is unlikely or unable to pay their rent. This could be because they are vulnerable or have severe financial difficulties, for example:

A claimant has rent arrears and has consistently failed to pay their rent;

A claimant has previously absconded from a property leaving rent arrears;

Claimants who are unable to open a bank or building society account;

Claimants with severe debt problems;

Claimants who are bankrupt.

By vulnerable we mean someone who may have difficulty managing his or her money because of a particular reason. This may include:

People with medical conditions;

People with learning difficulties;

People with physical disabilities;

People who are mentally ill;

Illiteracy or an inability to speak, read or write English;

A person with alcohol/substance/gambling addiction;

A person receiving assistance from a homeless charity;

A person who is housebound or lives alone with no support.

The above list is not exhaustive and there may be other reasons why the claimant may be considered vulnerable. However, the vulnerability must lead to an inability to manage their own affairs. Many people in the categories described above, whilst vulnerable will be both perfectly willing and able to manage their rent.

Please allow 24 hours from the expected payment date before you make an enquiry.

If the ‘processed date’ falls on a Bank Holiday it is likely that it will be brought forward to try and limit any delay to you receiving your payments. You will be made aware of this through a website message or if you are signed up to the free email alerts you will be informed through email.

Please note that if you are paid by cheque it will take longer for the payment to reach you and for you to be able to access the money. If you change your payment to BACS (payment straight into your bank) you will receive your payment sooner and this is a more secure and safer method of payment.

Processed Date

Date you should expect to receive your payment by

Period the payment covers:

Schedule ofPayments

Date

BACS*

Cheque

From

To

Tenant 2 weekly payment

14/04/14

18/04/14

21/04/14

07/04/2014

20/04/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

28/04/14

02/05/14

05/05/14

07/04/2014

04/05/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

28/04/14

02/05/14

05/05/14

21/04/2014

04/05/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

12/05/14

16/05/14

19/05/14

05/05/2014

18/05/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

26/05/14

30/05/14

02/06/14

05/05/2014

01/06/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

26/05/14

30/05/14

02/06/14

19/05/2014

01/06/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

09/06/14

13/06/14

16/06/14

02/06/2014

15/06/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

23/06/14

27/06/14

30/06/14

02/06/2014

29/06/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

23/06/14

27/06/14

30/06/14

16/06/2014

29/06/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

07/07/14

11/07/14

14/07/14

30/06/2014

13/07/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

21/07/14

25/07/14

28/07/14

30/06/2014

27/07/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

21/07/14

25/07/14

28/07/14

14/07/2014

27/07/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

04/08/14

08/08/14

11/08/14

28/07/2014

10/08/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

18/08/14

22/08/14

25/08/14

28/07/2014

24/08/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

18/08/14

22/08/14

25/08/14

11/08/2014

24/08/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

01/09/14

05/09/14

08/09/14

25/08/2014

07/09/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

15/09/14

19/09/14

22/09/14

25/08/2014

21/09/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

15/09/14

19/09/14

22/09/14

08/09/2014

21/09/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

29/09/14

03/10/14

06/10/14

22/09/2014

05/10/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

13/10/14

17/10/14

20/10/14

22/09/2014

19/102014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

13/10/14

17/10/14

20/10/14

06/10/2014

19/10/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

27/10/14

31/10/14

03/11/14

20/10/2014

02/11/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

10/11/14

14/11/14

17/11/14

20/10/2014

16/11/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

10/11/14

14/11/14

17/11/14

03/11/2014

16/11/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

24/11/14

28/11/14

01/12/14

17/11/2014

30/11/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

08/12/14

12/12/14

15/12/14

17/11/2014

14/12/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

08/12/14

12/12/14

15/12/14

01/12/2014

14/12/2014

Tenant 2 weekly payment

15/12/14

19/12/14

24/12/14

15/12/2014

28/12/2014

Landlord 4 weekly payment

05/01/15

09/01/15

12/01/15

15/12/2014

11/01/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

05/01/15

09/01/15

12/01/15

29/12/2014

11/01/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

19/01/15

23/01/15

26/01/15

12/01/2015

25/01/2015

Landlord 4 weekly payment

02/02/15

06/02/15

09/02/15

12/01/2015

08/02/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

02/02/15

06/02/15

09/02/15

26/01/2015

08/02/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

16/02/15

20/02/15

23/02/15

09/02/2015

22/02/2015

Landlord 4 weekly payment

02/03/15

06/03/15

09/03/15

09/02/2015

08/03/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

02/03/15

06/03/15

09/03/15

23/02/2015

08/03/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

16/03/15

20/03/15

23/03/15

09/03/2015

22/03/2015

Landlord 4 weekly payment

30/03/15

03/04/15

06/04/15

09/03/2015

05/04/2015

Tenant 2 weekly payment

30/03/15

03/04/15

06/04/15

09/03/2015

05/04/2015

For BACS payments this is an estimated receipt date that will be dependent on the conditions of your banks clearing system.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am receiving housing benefit and /or council tax support but I am struggling to pay my rent and / or council tax. Is there any other help I can get?

Housing Benefit (including Local Housing Allowance) is a means tested benefit and your tenant may not be entitled to benefit covering the full contractual weekly or monthly rent. If the rent level stated on the benefit notification letter does not match the contractual rent you charge, you can make further enquiries by emailing us at ptmailbox@birmingham.gov.uk.

Please note that it can take up to 5 working days from the date the payment is issued to when it is credited to your account. If you have still not received the payment at this time please contact us at ptmailbox@birmingham.gov.uk.

I am receiving housing benefit for my tenant who has left the property. What can I do?

If your tenant is receiving housing benefit payments direct and falls in arrears, please report it to us straight away. We will then usually send any further housing benefit payments directly to you or the agent.

If we do not feel that you should receive these payments direct, we can refuse to make them or withhold benefits while an investigation takes place. To recover the arrears you would have to pursue the tenant. This may involve taking enforcement action against them.

Yes. You can ask for a discretionary housing payment to help you with your rent or you can apply for an award from the Council Tax Support Discretionary Hardship Fund to help with your Council Tax. Please visit Council Tax Support for more information and an application form

I have been invoiced for an overpayment of housing benefit, but I can’t afford the balance at present, what can I do?